NASA asteroid alert: A colossal rock the size of Sears Tower is rapidly approaching Earth

At the lower end of the estimate, the asteroid is comparable in size to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

A 2018 White House report on the dangers of unidentified asteroids, suggests an object this big could kill untold millions.

A chart comparing the relative size of an asteroid to its potential “impact devastation” shows anything measuring between 1,312ft to 5,249ft (400m and 1.6km) across can destroy a whole continent.

The report reads: “Even small NEOs can have significant destructive effects.

“For example, on February 15, 2013, an asteroid approximately 20 meters in size created an airburst near Chelyabinsk, Russia, with roughly 20 to 30 times more energy than that released by the first atomic bombs.